


An Anti-Heroic Arc

by Hart_of_Tree_Hill



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie) Spoilers, No Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Spoilers, Not Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie) Compliant
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-13
Updated: 2019-05-13
Packaged: 2020-03-02 18:47:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,845
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18816856
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hart_of_Tree_Hill/pseuds/Hart_of_Tree_Hill
Summary: “He’s accustomed to being mourned, not to being in mourning. Never really the hero type. Yet here he is on the battlefield, resenting his failure along with the ‘heroes’ he just fought alongside. He doesn’t recognize the broody fellow with the metal arm that remains crouched on the ground of the battlefield, staring in shock at where something, or perhaps someone,  must have been, nevertheless he appears to be in mourning, as they all are. He may not be the hero type but he is the God of mischief, and Norns help him if he doesn’t have a trick up his sleeve reserved for saving his fallen brother, and others as well he supposes if that happens to be a side effect. This man with the metal arm doesn’t appear to be the hero type either, and although he works better alone he supposes he could use someone with a little bit of muscle.”IW AU, some spoilers for IW. No spoilers for Endgame.





	An Anti-Heroic Arc

**Author's Note:**

> I know IW fix it fics are kinda old news but to be perfectly honest, I’m fairly new to this fandom, and the pain of Loki’s death is still very fresh to me so for now I’m gonna work on remedying that. Infinity War AU, spoilers ahead still. No spoilers for Endgame.

He wasn’t standing too far away, not willing to risk letting Thanos out of his sight for even a moment, when he heard it.

A deafening snap.

Perhaps it wasn’t ‘deafening’ but given the ramifications of said noise it might as well have been.

His gaze turned to the battlefield, previously bustling with hope and energized warriors and avengers alike, had now gone completely still. He watched as people disintegrated before his eyes, loved ones looking on in helpless shock.

He waited calmly to feel himself drift away in pieces. Surely he of all people would be snapped away, the snap supposedly was random but honestly if this was by Thanos’ hand there is no way in Hel he would be spared.

To no avail, everyone was gone in, quite literally, a snap of the fingers. Yet here he stood, undying as ever, just as he had been while his brother passed on the damned statesman.

Poor choice of words indeed.

_He looked on as the Statesman burned to shambles around him, the people of Asgard screaming helplessly._

_He resisted the urge to roll his eyes when Ebony Maw began making his speech about the “great salvation” of Thanos or whatever nonsense. The stakes were too high right now, the remaining people of Asgard be damned, he needed to get himself and his brother off the damn ship. If nothing else just his brother._

_He’s well aware that his well intentioned, idiotic, heroic brother is set on making sure everyone on this ship gets out alive, but thats just not going to happen._

_Suddenly he’s extremely aware of the big purple monstrosity’s presence on the ill fated ship as he drags his brother’s nearly lifeless body across the floor._

_“The tesseract or your brother’s head, Im sure you have a preference.” Thanos smiles sinisterly, holding the power stone near his oafish brother’s head._

_Time, he just needs time for Norns sake! He hopes in spite of usually pessimistic nature that his brother is strong enough to withstand the power stone while he thinks of something. Anything. “Kill away.” He says with a confidence he does not feel._

_As usual his hope was for naught, and his brother, god of thunder, strongest person he knows (though he will deny that and promptly stab anyone who says it aloud) begins to scream in agony and slowly give way._

_Oh brother, forgive me for what I’m about to do. Thor has seen him die twice before, surely now will be easier._

_“Ok stop!” He screams urgently, revealing the tesseract._

_Thor looks at him, furious and slightly amused, of which he isn’t sure. “You truly are the worst, brother.”_

_Ouch well he certainly had that coming didn’t he?_

“ _The sun will shine on us again, brother.” He promises, even though its likely one he can’t keep._

_Thor’s head tilts lovingly at this. “Indeed brother it will.” The god of thunder raises a questioning eyebrow at him. “You seriously thought it wise to swipe the tesseract as you were igniting a beast that was to destroy our planet?”_

_Well when he puts it like that… He wants to argue, tell him he doesn’t understand the power it holds, but all he manages is a weak nod as Thanos continues to grip his brother’s head in his monstrous hand._

_This doesn’t seem to concern Thor though as he looks on at his brother. “You’re the god of mischief, god of lies, but you could be so much more.” He looks slightly less sure as he begins his next statement but still doesn’t falter. “Brother, I’ve had the luxury of being a hero, knowing my worth. Its your turn, go be more.” A wry smile forms on his brother’s face as he continues. “Not to mention I’ve already seen you die twice, a third time would simply be redundant.” Head still firmly in Thanos’ grasp he manages to tilt his gaze upward at Thanos. “You truly are a hideous being.” Thor says solely with the intention of aggravating Thanos more, which apparently works as his grip increases ever so slightly. “I will not allow my younger brother to be bullied by anyone other than myself. So yes, kill away.”_

_His jaw visibly drops. The idiot. Did he seriously just offer his life away? This certainly does not guarantee his own survival what was he thinking._

_Through his screams of agony he manages to scream out one final thing. “Go brother!”_

_This breaks him out of his trance as he glances down at the glowing cube in his hands. The genius idiot. He meant his death to be a distraction._

_If he leaves surely all of the Asgardians will be left to perish, clearly an oversight by his impetuous brother._

_It’s far too late to save his brother though, he thinks sadly as he sees Thor’s body begin to drop._

_It’s now or never, and he will not allow his brother’s sacrifice to be for nothing. He holds the up the Tesseract and transports himself elsewhere. He’s not truly thinking straight, or able to think at all. The consequence of which, lands him on Midgard. Absolutely wonderful, he thinks ruefully._

The rest, he fears, is just a continuation of his ongoing failure.

He met up with his brothers fellow “avengers”, who upon learning of his brother’s death drop their guns and are, cautiously, including him in their attack plans.

Through a series of ongoing further failures, not just on his part mind you, Thanos retrieves all six stones, and all of his crushing failures end in a snap.

His idiot brother, why would he ever trust him to get something done right? Now he truly has nothing, not even his brother who despite it all, was always by his side.

He can feel the glares from many of his fellow battle mates, while usually that would earn them a dagger in the side, he can’t manage anything at the moment.

The wrongness of this moment hits him all at once. He should not be alive.

He takes a look around at the now much emptier battlefield and notices that everyone left is in mourning, has lost someone.

He’s accustomed to being mourned not to being in mourning. Never really the hero type. Yet here he is on the battlefield, resenting his failure along with the ‘heroes’ he just fought alongside.

He doesn’t recognize the broody fellow with the metal arm that remains crouched on the ground of the battlefield staring longingly at where something, or perhaps someone, must have been, nevertheless he appears to be in mourning, as they all are. He may not be the hero type but he is the God of mischief, and Norns help him if he doesn’t have a trick up his sleeve reserved for saving his fallen brother, and others as well he supposes if that happens to be a side effect.

This man with the metal arm doesn’t appear to be the hero type either, and although he works better alone he supposes he could use someone with a little bit of muscle.

He notices a few distinctly missing heroes from the bunch left. His brother (obviously), the man of iron he once threw out of a window (although he didn’t see him in battle either so he isn’t sure), and the Captain appears to be missing as well. He doesn’t dare join the remaining heroes as they regroup and take in their losses. He notices the man with the metal arm doesn’t as well.

For the first time in his life he’s stunned into silence. After a few moments he finds himself speaking to the man.

“I suppose your experiencing great loss as well?” He says, although immediately regrets because obviously he is, everyone here is.

The man pays no attention to the obvious nature of the situation though, and continues to stare at a particular spot on the ground as he speaks. “A much better man than me, my best friend. I deserved to go, not him.”

It’s as though the man can read his mind, did Thanos just snap away all of the deserving heroes? “Survivor’s guilt. I imagine it won’t be all too rare of a feeling.”

The man for the first time tears his gaze away from the spot, and looks at him sharply. “He wasn’t just anybody. He was Captain Steve Rogers, a hero many times over.”

Ah yes, the captain, he had never been too fond of him if he’s being honest, then again he had never been too fond of any of the “avengers” his brother included at a time. Yet he feels a need to commiserate, or perhaps he just wants his brothers legacy to be remembered. He never thought he’d think that. “I’m well aware of the feeling. My brother Thor was taken by Thanos’ hand as well. A hero in every sense of the word.”

“Thor? As in the god of thunder? Well I didn’t see him in battle, where the fuck was he when we needed him? Some god.” The man says bitterly.

He feels a wave of anger surge through him, and for the first time in a long time he feels extremely defensive of his older brother. “I beg your pardon, my brother died an honorable death to keep Thanos from getting a stone.” And to save me, he thinks to himself. “Perhaps if your friend had been better able to defeat Thanos my brother’s death wouldn’t have been for nothing.” He’s aware that it’s a low blow, but really he doesn’t care for anyones feelings, he didn’t before and he especially doesn’t now.

He sees the man’s anger rile up on his face, and his fist rise, so he leaves an illusion of himself in his place, that the man of course goes right through fist first, and so happens three more times as he tries to get his punches in.

On the fourth he sighs in boredom. “If you’re quite done failing to harm me, I believe we have a mission ahead of us.”

The man, slightly out of breath from his attempts looks at him in confusion. “Mission?”

“Of course, to bring back my brother, and the good captain,” he says mockingly, “and perhaps a few others but thats not really my concern.”

The man shakes his head. “Trust me the heroes don’t want me on their team.”

He smirks widely. “Oh believe me, they don’t want me either.”

“So how do you plan to fix this then? Just the two of us?”

His head quirks to the side. “Well I’m capable of doing it alone, however it wouldn’t hurt to have some muscle and perhaps someone else to have the bullets aimed at.”

Although it isn’t much of an answer the man seems to take it as one, probably doesn’t have many other options. He holds out his hand in greeting. “I’m Bucky.”

He however, never one for formalities, leaves his hands in front of him, ignoring the man’s gesture, and simply responds, “I’m Loki, god of mischief.”

**Author's Note:**

> Should I continue? It’s my first foray into this fandom, and hopefully not my last :)


End file.
